Invasive Insect Spreads to Second County in Vermont

An invasive insect that has destroyed hemlock trees from Georgia through southern New England is spreading in Vermont.

The hemlock woolly adelgid (ah-DEL jid), an invasive insect from Asia that feeds on the sap of hemlock trees, has been found in Bennington County for the first time. Until now, the pest had been restricted in Vermont to nine towns in Windham County. The insect was found on municipal land in Pownal and is thought to have spread there from nearby Massachusetts.Officials say the warm weather this past winter increased the survival of the pest.